Richard Sherman Promised To Help A Student Pay For College. Here's What He Did When She Made The Honor Roll.

"It’s like saying my hard work and dedication had paid off."

On the field, Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman is known for his athleticism, a high football IQ, and trash talking that sometimes leaks into the press room after a game. It's this reputation that not only made him one of the most recognized cornerbacks in the league, but also a Super Bowl champion. However, when the turquoise-and-volt-green helmet is off, there's an entirely different side of the same player. Sherman's intelligence outside of football is what really throws people off sometimes, including his being in support of Colin Kaepernick's protests.

With all of his achievements on both sides of the field, Sherman has fulfilled a promise that would give someone the opportunity that he had to truly shine: a college education. According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Sherman promised Virginia student Hershai James that he would pay her college tuition if she brought her GPA up to a 3.0. The two had met at former teammate and friend Michael Robinson's Celebrity Walter Dinner and Football Camp, an event that has been hosted in Richmond every year since 2010.

Although making a 3.0 GPA was a feat James could reach, she had one major challenge ahead: to become an honor roll student as a senior. Sherman's promise kept her motivated as the semesters carried on.

"When my senior year began, I definitely had the scholarship in my head as motivation," James told the Times-Dispatch. "With being a senior, the year is really stressful. Having something to look forward to helped. It's like saying my hard work and dedication had paid off." After realizing that she achieved her goal of getting a 3.0, James reached out to Sherman to tell him the great news.

"It goes back to knowledge is power and if you have knowledge, you're going to be as powerful as you can be," Sherman tells the Times-Dispatch. "Nobody stops anybody from reading and educating themselves. Mike is only trying to empower these kids to be everything that they can be and if we can help with that with our presence, with our (autographed) jerseys (for an auction), with our words, we'll do everything we can."

As a Stanford graduate, Richard Sherman is aware of the many opportunities that a college education can afford someone — especially when it's free. It's good to know that whether students are earning their financial assistance through academic or athletic means or the acts of charitable celebrities that more people will be able to see their dreams of college come true.